阅读理解

阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　The plan：turn Mars into a blue world with streams and green fields, and then fill it with creatures from the earth．

　　This idea may sound like something from a science fiction, but it is actually being taken seriously by many researchers．

　　This suggests the future for the “red planet” will be the main topic for discussion at an international conference hosted by NASA this week．Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers will attend the event．It comes as NASA(美国宇航局)is preparing a multi-billion-dollar Mars research program．

　　“Turning Mars into a little earth has long been a topic in science fiction,” said Dr．Michael Meyer, NASA's senior scientist．“Now, with scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities of changing Mars．”

　　Most scientists agree that Mars could be turned into a little earth, although much time and money would be needed to achieve this goal．But many experts are shocked by the idea．

　　“We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed and now we are talking about ruining another planet,” said Paul Murdin from the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK．

　　Over the past months, scientists have become increasingly confident they will find Martian life forms．Europe and America's robot explorers have found the proof that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on the planet．

　　In addition, two different groups of scientists announced on March 28 that they had found signs of methane(甲烷)in the Martian atmosphere, the gas is a waste product of living creatures and could be produced by microbes(微生物)living in the red planet's soil．

　　But scientists such as Dr．Lisa Pratt, a biologist at Indiana University, say that these microbes will be put in danger by the little earth project．

　　“Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars, we are talking about carrying out projects that would destroy all these native life forms, all the strange microbes that we hope to find buried in the soil,” said Dr．Pratt．

　　Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London, shares this view．“We cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious information we are looking for,” she said．“This is just wrong”．

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阅读理解

阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　China began reforming college admissions in 2003．Since that time, in addition to the national college entrance examination reforms, the country has allowed some universities to set their own test papers．In this way, they are able to enroll students independently．But students have to go to many provinces where the universities are located to sit the exams．

　　However, things will change soon．In 2010, five universities－Shanghai Jiaotong University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Nanjing University and Tsinghua University－will join hands to make the free university enrollment program easier．The five universities' joint(联合的)exams will be held at exam sites in most of China's provinces and regions．This means that most students will just need to take the exams in their home province．

　　Each candidate(考生)will be able to apply for two of the five universities．If the application fails, a student will then be able to apply to a third university．If the application is successful, a student still has to take the national college entrance exam, but he or she will be given extra points in the exam．

　　The exam will be made up of written exams and an interview．The written exams will have tow sections－the “General Exam” and the “Special Exam”．In a number of subjects, including Chinese, math, English, natural sciences(for students of science), and liberal arts(人文)(for liberal arts students)the general exam section will be the same．In the Special Exam, each university will have its own exam questions．Some universities' Special Exam sections will take place at the same time as the General Exam, while others will take place together with the interview．

　　In the joint exams, total points will not be the only criteria for college entrance．Those who excel in a particular subject will have the opportunity of admission to a top university．

　　Yang Yanjie, a senior three student at the Aerospace High School of Zunyi, Guizhou province, thinks the joint exams will benefit students．“It will save students time they would otherwise have spent traveling or preparing for the exam,” Yang said, “It will also allow students to prepare for the exam on the basis of specific features of universities．”

　　Students can apply to take the exams in November and December．Qualified candidates will take the written exams in January next year．The universities will publish the details of the joint exams program soon．

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阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Tobacco was first used by the people of pre-Columbian Americas．Native Americans apparently cultivated the plant and smoked it in pipes for medical and ceremonial purposes．

　　Christopher Columbus brought a few tobacco leaves and seeds with him back to Europe, but most Europeans didn't get their first taste of tobacco until the mid-16th century, when adventurers and diplomats like France's Jean Nicot－for whom nicotine is named－began to popularize its use．Tobacco was introduced to France in 1556, Portugal in 1558, Spain in 1559, and England in 1565．

　　The first successful commercial crop was cultivated in Virginia in 1612 by Englishman John Rolfe．Within seven years, it was the colony's largest export．Over the next two centuries, the growth of tobacco as a cash crop fueled the demand in North America for slave labor．

　　At first, tobacco was produced mainly for pipe-smoking, chewing, and snuff．Cigars didn't become popular until the early 1800s．Cigarettes, which had been around in crude form since the early 1600s, didn't become widely popular in the United States until after the Civil War, with the spread of “Bright” tobacco, a uniquely cured yellow leaf grown in Virginia and North Carolina．Cigarette sales surged(急剧上升)again with the introduction of the “White Burley” tobacco leaf and the invention of the first practical cigarette-making machine, sponsored by tobacco baron James Buchanan “Buck” Duke, in the late 1880s．

　　The negative health effects of tobacco were not initially known; in fact, most early European physicians subscribed to the Native American belief that tobacco can be an effective medicine．

　　By the early 20th century, with the growth in cigarette smoking, articles addressing the health effects of smoking began to appear in scientific and medical journals．

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　　Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life．He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think．One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep record of every penny they spend for a week．From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life．

　　He says our relation with others often become clearly defined when money enters the picture．You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you may think that you are very good friends．But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money．If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before．Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn't．This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it．

　　Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important．The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book．

　　Question：What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man?

　　Answer：The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect．I am nothing．I do not know much．All I am is rich．

　　People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society：to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end．Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life．

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　　Traveling without a map in different countries, I find out about different “styles”(方式)of directions(方向)every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

　　Foreign tourists are often confused(迷惑的)in Japan because most streets there don't have name signs; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names．For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner．Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market．The post office is across from the bus stop．”

　　People in Los Angeles(洛杉矶), the US, have no idea of distance on the map：they measure(衡量)distance(距离)by time, not miles．“How far away is the post office?” you ask．“Oh,” they answer, “it's about five minutes from here．” You don't understand completely, “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won't get an answer, because most probably they don't know it themselves．

　　People in Greece(希腊)sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language．Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me．” Then he'll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office．

　　Sometimes a person doesn't know the answer to your question．What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea．” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don't know．” People there believe that “I don't” is impolite．They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one．So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan!

　　However, one thing will help you everywhere in the world．It's body language．

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Learning a Second Language

　　Some people learn a second language easily．Others have trouble learning a new language．How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting．

　　The first step is to feel positive about learning English．If you believe that you can learn, you will learn．Be patient．You do not have to understand everything all at once．It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new．We can learn from our mistakes．In other words, do not worry about taking risks．

　　The second step is to practice your English．For example, write a diary every day．You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English．Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving．In addition, you must speak English every day．You can practice with your classmates outside class．You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English．

　　The third step is to keep a record of your language learning．You can write this in your journal．After each class, think about what you did．Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it．

　　You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it．It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements．You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself．

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　　Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy．After all, you probably sing or whistle(吹口哨)when you are happy．

　　Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy．However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason．Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory．

　　Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims(声称)as its own．Only he and his family are welcome there．No other families of the same species(物种)are welcome．Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome．If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout．Probably this would be enough to frighten him away．

　　If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him．A bird does the same thing．But he expects no outsiders almost any time, especially at nesting(筑巢)season．So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not．This screaming is what we call a bird's song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away．

　　Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs．

　　You can see that birds have a language of their own．Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories．

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　　Ellen and Bill County are both teachers．They met in college and became good friends because of their shared love for children．Two years after the couple got married, Ellen saw a huge change in the life of one of her students, a 9-year-old girl．Three years ago both of the little girl's parents had died and there was no one to take care of her．She was taken away to live in a government office．But finally she was taken in and adopted by a family and became their daughter．Ellen said that she noticed the difference in the child's life after she was placed in a permanent home and thought that maybe she and her husband could help a child in a similar way．

　　They decided to become temporary parents and to take a child into their home on the weekends when the real parents could not take care of him or her．The pair planned to have their own children in a few years, but decided that this would be a way to give to the community in the meantime．

　　The couple quickly grew to love one of the children they looked after．When he became legally available, Billy became the first child they took in permanently．Six months after adopting Billy, Ellen was told by her doctor that she was unable to have children naturally．Ellen says she knew then that adoption was the way she was meant to have a family．

　　Since adopting Billy, now 17, Ellen and Bill have adopted five more children－Rose,16；Albert, 11; Joshua, 5 and in June 2003, they added biological brother and sister Tyler and Rylee to the County family．

　　The County family has been recognized for their work on adoption, and have received many awards for their efforts．Last June, the family was even interviewed on the television show, “Adoption Stories”．

　　Ellen says she would like to encourage other families to adopt children．She adds that the best part of being a mother of six is：“Giving Josh a bath, putting a band-aid on a cut knee or just the everyday mom things, that makes motherhood such an honor and a privilege．”

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　　The right to pursue happiness is issued to us all with our birth, but no one seems quite sure what it is．

　　A holy man in India may think that happiness is in himself．It is in needing nothing from outside himself．If wanting nothing, he lacks nothing．We westerners, however, are taught that the more we have from outside ourselves, the happier we will be, and then we are made to want．We are even told it is our duty to want．Advertising, one of our major industries, exists not to satisfy these desires but to create them－and to create them faster than any man's money in his pocket can satisfy them．Here, obviously someone is trying to buy the dream of happiness and spending millions upon millions every year in the attempt．Clearly the happiness-market is not running out of customers．

　　I doubt the holy man's idea of happiness, and I doubt the dreams of the happiness-market, too．Whatever happiness may be, I believe, it is neither in having nothing nor in having more, but in changing－in changing the world and mankind into pure states．

　　To change is to make efforts to deal with difficulties．As Yeats, a great Irish poet once put it, happiness we get for a lifetime depends on how high we choose our difficulties．

　　It is easy to understand．We even demand difficulty for the fun in our games．We demand it because without difficulty there can be no game．And a game is a way of making something hard for the fun of it．The rules of the game are man-made difficulties．When the player ruins the fun, he always does so by refusing to play by the roles．It is easier to win at chess if you are free, at your pleasure, to cast away all the rules, but the fun is in winning within the rules．

　　The same is true to happiness．The buyers and sellers at the happiness-market seem to have lost their sense of the pleasure of difficulty．Heaven knows what they are　playing, but it seems a dull game．And the Indian holy man seems dull to us, I suppose, because he seems to be refusing to play anything at all．

　　The western weakness may be in the dreams that happiness can be bought while eastern weakness may be in the idea that there is such a thing as perfect happiness in man himself．Both of them forget a basic fact：no difficulty, no happiness．

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　　Friendships are some of the most important relationships that we will ever have in our lives．But how to build a solid friendship? Here are five tips for you．

　　True friendships can only be built in honesty．This is more than just telling the truth．Being real and open about who you are and your thoughts and feelings are a part of building a solid friendship．If your “friends” don't even really know you, who are they really friends with?

　　As you build your friendship, you will share many experiences together．Some of these may be great adventures or hard times that the two of you go through together．These shared experiences are things that you will laugh about, talk about, and cry about no matter how much time passes．

　　Love is the basis(基础)of all solid relationships．I am not referring to the emotion(情感)of love, but to the action of love．Love is what will cause a friend to get out of bed in the middle of the night to help another．Love is what will put aside someone's own wants to make sure that their friend is alright．

　　When a friendship is solid, it will be based on each other's understanding．You may not agree with everything that a friend says or does, but you will be able to put yourself into his or her shoes to begin to understand．Offering understanding to a friend is very important, as it allows them to feel that they have someone in their corner that they can talk to and who will offer advice and suggestions, without having to worry that if they don't always follow it, the friendship will be lost．

　　A solid friendship is one in which two people accept one another, faults and all, for just who they are．There is no having to build up false excuses, or hide away the “dark secrets” from one another．We accept each other as whole, complete, and totally unique people．

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